We saw the Guangdong last year in Swan Lake - once you see this, you will never look at it the same way again - when she stands on pointe on top of his head at the end, it's a once-in-a-lifetimer. Those gymnasts can do stuff that ballerinas can't do - the production values were extraordinary - the integrity of the production was not lost...

Interesting idea NN . Just curious, does the Guangdong call itself a "ballet troupe" or a gymnastic group?

Ballet is an art and involves more than just tricks. At its best it involves a deep emotional output from the artist, just as acting does, in addition to (hopefully) pristine, well-refined, polished technique that doesn't sway into acrobatics. So I am curious what they bill themselves as.

Auntie, you will be seeing Obraztsova and Kolb as Romeo and Juliet on 6th August.

I didn't get to see the Guangdong version of Swan lake last year but the feedback I heard was all positive. I don't have a problem with acrobatic troups adapting classical ballets but I do have a problem with classical ballet companies passing off acrobats as ballerinas.

I don't have a problem with acrobatic troups adapting classical ballets but I do have a problem with classical ballet companies passing off acrobats as ballerinas.

Agreed, Cassandra - as long as the acrobatic troupe is billed as such, and not as a ballet troupe. That is as harmful to the classical ballet companies as promoting acrobatics from within, in my opinion.

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Just a note to confirm that internal casting lists match the ROH site and have Lopatkina as the very first night of Odette/Odile. Somova is still opening night, Rubies on the 12th, SymphC on the 13th, and Aurora on the 15th.

I'm afraid I'm the bearer of very bad tidings as I have just heard officially that Ekaterina Osmolkina is no longer dancing with the Kirov in London next month. No reason has been given.

For me this is dreadful new as I consider her the finest of the dancers currently with the company and she is massively popular in London. The casts have been rearranged and I'll post the details later but it has resulted in a situation where those that are admirers of Vladimir Shklyarov will be forced to watch him with Somova. At least this hasn't hit me financially as I only bought standing places this time around.

Bad news indeed, and strange. I saw Osmolkina listed on one of the casting lists -- now (unfortunately) I cannot recall if it was for Amsterdam or London, but this was literally 2 days ago that her name was up on the internal boards. I hope it's not an injury.

There were reports that she was injured back in June, and she hasn't danced since, has she ? The management might just have been hoping she was back in time. Hopefully it was nothing too serious though... Such a shame she has to miss the major summer tours.

Azulynn, you're right, she has not appeared in the White Nights festival (June and July) this year, so it's likely an injury. I haven't seen her around the rehearsal halls either (not that that means anything given how huge the theatre is). hope she recovers soon in any case!

Oh wait -- Yes, of course: in Flora's Awakening, yes she did dance in that at least once in June. But she hasn't been cast as often. I confirmed with someone else that she was injured (so those reports are correct).

I find it interesting that Ms Anderson breaks ranks with a very insightful critique of Lopatkina:

Quote:

Any style can be pushed to extremes, a signature becoming a trick. Lopatkina can be dangerously diva-ish. She holds her chin perilously high, unfolding long limbs with exaggerated slowness. (In Swan Lake, she's brought Tchaikovsky almost to a standstill.) Her arched Russian back can look affected instead of strong. She's a star, no question: the strong personality is unmistakable, and has won her an international audience. She's also a reminder that Mariinsky style can become mannered instead of pure.

It wasn't Lopatkina who pioneered the excrutiatingly slow tempi in Swan Lake though as Makarova was guilty of that decades before.

With the first night cast being what it is I shall not be going tonight , but hope to report back on Tereshkina's Juliet in due course.

She draws a conclusion regarding Terekhova's coaching that, from what I've seen, is not addressing the full issue. Terekhova is not one to focus on port de bras with her girls, and Somova's right hand and fingers are in dire need of help. Somova's issue is not just uber high extensions, it is the entire image at this point -- the arms almost worse than the legs in many respects, as they're often much more difficult to correct over the long term, especially if the training didn't set the proper positions in stone. Each student absorbs at different rates and depths.

I have to disagree though with Ms. Anderson's review. In Petersburg performances when other (always foreign in fact) critics have used the term "mannered" to describe Uliana Lopatkina, I've never had that impression during the same viewings.

I cannot speak to the performance of which she wrote, however, except to say that everyone has off nights. What is a too-slow tempo to some, is not so bad to others. And keeping in mind Lopatkina is at least 5'9", it would not make sense for her to deliver O/O at a fast tempo, needless to say. And, all tempi aside, one thing you will never see from Lopatkina is incorrect port de bras; her arms are classic Vaganova style. The same cannot be said of Ms. Somova.

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